Why Rush Hour Parking Restrictions Don’t Work

For the love of God just let the people park.

While walking  from the Canton Promenade to Starbucks, it took me 5 minutes to cross Boston Street.  My bad – I was jaywalking. And sure, I could have walked half a mile to the nearest crosswalk at O’donnell or Hudson, but my pride got in the way.  Also, when you’re at the Canton Starbucks, those crosswalks look really really far away (they’re actually about 1600 feet apart).  I’ve seen 80 year old men with canes cross mid-block on Boston, so I thought, if they could do it, so can I.  There are two issues here.

1. Boston Street probably needs a mid block crosswalk somewhere between O’donnell and Hudson Street. With all that retail, a grocery store, and a Starbucks (my sweet sweet love), there are plenty of people who live in the condos on the other side of Boston, or who exit the Promenade, and say “Damn, those crosswalks are far. I’ll make a run for it.”
2. I was trying to cross at 5pm. This means eastbound traffic flies because two lanes are open instead of one due to peak hour parking restrictions.

Opening that one lane of traffic maybe saves 1 or 2 minutes of travel time if you’re in a car.  So awesome.  What peak hour parking restrictions also do is encourage highway-like speeds on neighborhood streets, discourage business patronage, and make life a pain in the ass for nearby residents who don’t have sufficient parking. Not to mention the fact that all it takes is one illegally parked vehicle to throw the whole scheme into chaos. I’ll also throw in the kitchen sink and say it makes biking during peak hours more difficult.  I’d rather get doored than get hit from the back by a speeding car. And finally, let’s throw in the bathtub and say that peak hour restrictions preclude the installation of bump outs, the fashionable street adornment which make pedestrian crossings safer and streets greener.

“But Mark” you say, “you’re supposed to discourage driving. We should make parking more difficult.”.  In certain situations, I disagree. I am against engineering decisions that provide benefits to vehicular traffic at the expense of other modes and neighborhood livability, and this is a great example. And especially in this economy, businesses need all the customers they can get, even if they arrive by Hummer.  Though Howard Street wasn’t hurt by light rail, it wasn’t helped by a lack of auto access. I would be remiss if I didn’t state my opinion that peak hour parking restrictions hurt businesses on Charles Street as well.

And just like one way streets, peak hour parking restrictions seem to be for the benefit of drivers who want to get the hell out of Baltimore as fast as possible after they get out of work. Why should we sacrifice livable streets, commercial vitality and quality of life for our residents just for the sake of shaving a couple minutes off  someones exodus to the suburbs? What’s the hurry, drivers?  Park your car and stay awhile.

Greater Greater Washington has an excellent article describing Chicago’s effort to eliminate peak hour parking restrictions on 225 of their busiest blocks.

How to Become Car Free And Not Become Annoying

How the hell do you compete with this?

Most would-be agents of behavioral change frame their arguments on external effects with a bit of a self-righteous air. Environmentalists are the worst offenders; Deforestation reduces reduces bio-diversity and increases carbon in the atmosphere. Large corporations act with impunity in polluting our air and waterways. Cars are responsible for X number of cases of asthma. Arguments like these have been repeated ad nauseum.  Well meaning people spend a lot of time making other people think they care about how their behavior impacts the world. Some do care, but most don’t.  This is a politically incorrect thing to say at dinner parties, but this is a blog, not a dinner party. And I’ll be the first to admit I sold my car for personal benefit, not to save the planet.

In making arguments for behavioral change, the more we focus on personal benefits, the more the message resonates; How do you benefit from eating local food?  How do you benefit when polluters are regulated? How do you benefit from taking transit? Framing the argument in descriptive terms (If you do x, then y will happen), rather than prescriptive terms (You should really do this) makes an audience less defensive and more open to dialog. In general, you cannot change someone by trying to change them. But there is a small chance you can inspire someone to change by setting an example.  This is a Buddhist argument about the dangers of being attached to outcomes, but I think it fits here.

I’m trying to find a balance as well.  Promoting, in what my opinion, is a better lifestyle in living without a car, but avoiding the typical environmentalist arguments and self-righteousness.  It’s easy to fall into these traps, though.

While we’re on the topic of promotion, car companies collectively spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising every year. Not only is the U.S. designed for cars, but there are non-stop messages everywhere telling us that owning a car is expected of us as a sort of rite of passage.  It’s not enough to have transit that runs flawlessly and great walking/biking routes. These modes have to be culturally accepted, without stigma, and create an emotional response just like car commercials do. Thinking of alternate modes as a product, and not just as a default choice for a dedicated few, may be a start. And getting “opinion makers”, as Malcolm Gladwell calls them in his book The Tipping Point, involved at a grass roots level may help in turning the tide.

Also, it would help if we could create transit advertising that looked like this. But maybe that’s too much to ask.

A Homeless Man and a Cicada

Australian Green Grocer Cicada (Cicadoidea Cicadidae)

Our correspondent, Paul Day, brings us an on-the-ground report of his new commute from Upper Fells Point. And thanks to Streetsblog.net for the link to my High Speed Rail post. Welcome new readers!
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Today, I was walking to work when I crossed paths with a local homeless man. I always pass by the several Baltimore Street rescue missions on my way to work. This morning, a man who looked like Santa Claus was chilling on the corner.

While waiting for the light to change, I felt something land on my back. I thought the homelesas man had thrown something at me. I didn’t know how to respond so I initially ignored it. I turned around as he started to approach. I was curiously relaxed, perhaps because I hadn’t slept much the night before. As he closed in, he says something unintelligible about getting “it’ off my back. Before I had time to respond, he had a cicada on his finger. It was his little friend. I said, “Cool, you found a Cicada.” He smiled, then the light changed to green and I crossed the street.

Lessons learned: I would have never experienced this if I drove to work.

A Bold Proposal for High Speed Rail in the Northeast

A possible high speed rail alignment - graphic from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Click to enlarge.

City and Regional Planning graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania PennDesign studio drafted a high speed rail study for the northeast corridor. The study recommends extensive tunneling under cities and water and other bold changes to the current intercity rail service. Amtrak’s recent infrastructure upgrades for Acela mostly consisted of piecemeal fixes which still keep average speeds between Washington and Boston between 60 and 80 mph – well below the average 150mph+ speeds of international systems. If Europe and Japan’s rail service is like a BMW M5, ours is more like a 15 year old Honda Civic with new rims and a tail fin. You can trick out that puppy all you want, but you’re still in a Honda.

The study recommends making Charles Center a new high speed rail station in Baltimore. This would bypass the aging tunnels leading into Penn Station which limit train speeds. Having a station at Charles Center could also spark revitalization in a section of downtown which is pretty stagnant right now. Traveling from anywhere in the Northeast corridor to Baltimore (and getting dropped off a few blocks away from the Inner Harbor) in a couple of hours could be a game changer for our tourism industry. Because a smaller percentage of travelers who arrive by train actually drive from the station to their final destinations compared to those who arrive by air, we could also have more out-of-towners walking/biking or using transit.

Another idea from the study is using Interstate right of way for the rail alignment.   High speed rail down the center of I-95 would be a great way to laugh in the faces of the millions of drivers stuck in traffic everyday and would make the service highly visible. A sleek bullet train cruising at 120mph past gridlocked traffic would more than compensate for Amtrak’s lackluster marketing efforts and reputation problems (assuming Amtrak would run the service) . This would be living proof that trains are a viable alternative to driving and flying for mid distance trips.

The President has already started the ball rolling with a $8 billion dollar investment for passenger rail upgrades. San Francisco started building their new high speed rail station and the California portion of the system has momentum and a solid plan. There is absolutely no reason why the northeast corridor shouldn’t see similar investments. We have the ridership, the cities, and much better sports teams than California.

So, for what it’s worth, the Penn student’s plan gets Car Free Baltimore’s solid endorsement and a funding promise. I’ll gladly buy tickets for this thing and ride it every chance I get when it’s built. It’s time the U.S. gets its own M5.

Related Links:

1. Federal Railroad Administration High Speed Rail Website (http://www.fra.dot.gov/Pages/2243.shtml)
2. Federal Railroad Administration High Speed Rail Strategic Plan (http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/FinalFRA_HSR_Strat_Plan.pdf)
3. University of Pennsylvania PennStudio High Speed Rail Seminar Final Report (http://studio.design.upenn.edu/hsr/node/81)

Q and A: Jessica Keller, Director of Service Development, MTA

Jessica Keller, Director of Service Development at MTA, took time out of her busy schedule to respond to some questions about living car free and bus service in Baltimore.  And here is a special treat; a Google Earth KML file of every transit route in the city! (some routes may be somewhat outdated, so go to mta.maryland.gov to double check).

Also, a quick bus related link from The Transport Politic discussing the most efficient bus rapid transit alignments – Alternative Alignments for Corridor Cities Transitway and Reaching Town Centers

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How long have you been living without a car? What has the experience been like?

I have been car free for nearly three years and quite happy living without it. I walk or take the bus everywhere – I used to have a bike but it was stolen a year and a half ago. I don’t miss my SUV but I miss my bike dearly, especially during rush hour on Pratt Street. Living without a car was trouble-free until 4 months ago when I gave birth to my son. The amount of planning I must do in advance of leaving the house has increased exponentially. I will have to write a follow-up on being car-free with kids later.

I am fortunate that I do not punch a clock; I don’t know how people who do manage keeping a job. I have a bus transfer in my commute so it is very unpredictable. I live 3.5 miles away from my office and sometimes it can take an hour and a half to get to work. This is why I miss my bike.

As Director of Service Development at MTA, what are some of the things you most want to improve about MTA’s bus service?

I think the title is a little misleading, let me tell you about my office (as copied from the MTA’s web site):

The Office of Service Development develops routes and schedules for MTA’s local bus service.

Baltimore’s strong local bus ridership translates into heavy loads that fluctuate throughout the day. We develop schedules to meet this demand, making sure that there are enough buses to connect passengers to their destinations throughout the service area, as well as to other MTA modes.

We also monitor the performance of local bus service by:

· Modifying routes to serve new trip generators, such as retail locations, schools, and community centers.

· Updating bus destination signs and on-board announcement systems.

· Determining bus stop placement.

· Conducting ridership collection and analysis for federally required reports

I have little influence over the day-to-day service, if I did, it wouldn’t take me an hour and a half to get to work. I am obviously dedicated to alternative transportation – I don’t HAVE to take the bus. This leads to what I would like to see happen with the system. I want to increase ridership. The only way to do that, in my mind, is to appeal to choice riders like myself. The general perception is that public transportation is a welfare program and I can understand that perception, after all, it is subsidized. But isn’t the money used to build new roads subsidizing car drivers as well?

So back to my point about appealing to the choice rider – if we get the choice riders on the bus and they LIKE it then the choice riders will demand more (service, quality etc.) which means they will force the politicians to allocate more money to the system. Once the money comes, we can increase service and quality to everyone, not just the choice riders and not just the captive riders. If we take the approach to increase ridership by aiming efforts to captive riders then we (public transportation agencies) have to go with our hands out and ask for more resources…..and fight for them. This second approach fuels the perception of public transportation as a welfare program, not a sustainability program.

You were the chief of BCDOT’s Planning Division before working for MTA. What is the city doing to promote sustainable transportation?

This is a loaded question. I am sure I will get some negative feedback for my answer: I don’t think the political will exists [yet] in the City to truly embrace sustainable transportation. There have been some great steps in the right direction. I love the bus/bike only lanes but they aren’t enforced and drivers don’t respect them. I’d like to see more bus/bike lanes on arterials and I would like to see them enforced. The bike plan implementation is coming along wonderfully but I’d like to see more dedicated bike lanes. I work in SW Baltimore and there are bike lanes everywhere but no cars, so there was no political “risk” installing them. The City will install bike lanes but not at the expense of roadway capacity [for cars] at this point. I think one of the biggest things the City is doing is keeping the Transportation Planning Division around because the staff are truly dedicated to sustainable transportation and they keep pushing their ideas.

Any new bus service improvements in the pipeline you want to promote?

OF COURSE! To all eight of your readers: we have two new Quick Bus (QB) routes rolling out beginning August 29th! Look for the QB 47 which overlaps the 15 and the QB 46 which overlaps the 5 on the east and 10 on the west. What is a QB you ask? A QB is basically limited stop service where we stop at the heaviest boarding locations only. It is different from an EXPRESS that shoots from point A to point B, A being the county and B being the central business district. It is different from a LOCAL which hits every stop along the line.

Cities! Stop trying to be like the suburbs.

Baltimore - early 20th century

The recent article in the Baltimore Sun about the failed Madison Park North apartment complex got me thinking about suburbs. Yes, the suburbs, and how all the cities wanted to be like them during a good chunk of the 20th century. Like the suburbs were the popular high school football stars and all the cities were the nerdy kids who bought the football jerseys which didn’t really fit them, but wore them anyway.  And then they got beaten up for it. My point is this; cities should be cities. Embrace it. Don’t be ashamed of it. Don’t be something you’re not. And sometimes, suburban design backfires in a big way in urban environments.  A few local examples:

Garden Apartments – low density, multi-family dwellings surrounded by landscaping and parking lots. In Baltimore, a lot of great Victorian rowhomes were replaced with garden apartment complexes, and in some instances they work, but like in the case of Madison Park North, they often act as secluded, anonymous beehives of criminal activity in transitional neighborhoods – bringing nearby blocks down with them. Part of the crime problem comes from building set backs which make entrances and common areas less visible from the street, and also limited street connections which isolate these apartments.  The ugly, barracks style modernist architecture which flies in the face of nearby historic buildings doesn’t help, either.  In less-than-great neighborhoods, look up some crime maps and you’ll often see these garden apartment locations lit up like Chevy Chase’s house in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation with all sorts of offenses.  Mixed income projects, like Albermarle Square, which maintain the street grid pattern and provide individual, highly visible building entrances are better alternatives.

Seton Hill. This cul-de-sac became dangerous partially due to its secludedness.

Cul-de-sacs and street barriers – urban streets want to be connected. People want options, and streets need activity to be safe. Dead-ending streets may make for a pretty photograph for a post card, but they also limit circulation, create dead space and dark places, and frustrate police and emergency responders. The former cul-de-sac at Orchard St. and Pennsylvania Ave. in Seton Hill is an excellent example of a planner 30 years ago trying to bring some Oscar Newman style Defensible Space concepts to the city. But dealers in the city don’t need cars to do business (at least they’re traveling sustainably), so trying to block drug traffic by putting auto barriers up is useless.  In certain situations, you want to encourage through traffic, not eliminate it.

Office Parks – When originally built, State Center created a gaping hole between 6 or 7 neighborhoods with monolithic office buildings which were completely functionless at street level, excessively wide streets and huge blocks, and a single use function (work) which made the place empty after 5pm. As Lewis Mumford said, superblocks are the soulless invention of commercial capitalism.  Charles Center, though it included a theatre and some retail, oriented its uses away from the street and toward the inner courtyard.  In cities, people want to do a lot of different things all in one place. Designs should be open and outward, encouraging activity around the perimeters of blocks and facing the street.  In suburbs, streets are less important than the center. In cities, the street is everything. Luckily, redevelopment plans for both of these projects get this.

Taking up what could be a prime development parcel, this landscaped corner doesn't even qualify as a park.

Landscaping - Walking down Pratt St. is a great example of suburban landscape architecture imposed on what should be an active, urban street.  Yes, we all know trees and plants are good, but that doesn’t mean they should compensate for blank walls, block views of the harbor, and fill up prime downtown corners which could be developed and put on the tax rolls. More isn’t necessarily better, and an inactive, poorly designed alley of trees can do more harm than good. The Pratt Street Redevelopment Plan shows some potential for correcting some of these things and making Pratt into a more active, urban street.

Lighting - Light this baby up. There are enough dark-sky friendly lighting designs out there to make even the most glassy eyed star watcher satisfied. Baltimore is too dark at night. Our neighborhoods, and our iconic monuments and buildings.  Lights improve safety, identify buildings of importance, bring tourists and residents out at night, and create a sense of excitement. The countryside should be dark. Cities should be ignited.

Links: Download “Creating Defensible Space” – Oscar Newman

Hi MTA, What’s Up?: Light Rail Connections

While the state has identified 14 transit stations for large scale transit-oriented development projects, my journeys on the light rail system show a far more insidious issue on a much smaller scale – the original designers of the system overlooked the connection between the stations and the neighborhoods. I’ll explain with two examples involving two very different Baltimore neighborhoods.

Cold Spring Light Rail Station: Roland Park is further from the station than it appears.

Exhibit A: Cold Spring Lane Light Rail Station. Just for kicks, I tried walking from the station to Roland Park. Bad move. You know that scene in Being John Malkcovich when the people who go through Malkcovich’s head get dumped on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike? Yea, it’s like that (I’ll assume you’ve all seen the movie otherwise what I wrote sounds crazy).  On/off ramps to the JFX, narrow sidewalks abutting the street and 6 lanes of speeding traffic, plants that look like something from Little Shop of Horrors overtaking the already narrow sidewalks. Maybe the original engineers plopped down the sidewalks in AutoCAD and said, ” Yes, now there are sidewalks. Mission Accomplished“. Not so fast. The experience of actually walking on Cold Spring Lane is a thrill and a bit death-defying – but it shouldn’t have to be. And yes, I’m fully aware that this is mostly a city issue and not an MTA issue, but when agencies support each other’s infrastructure and look at the “big picture” of making transit access intuitive and a real alternative to driving, everybody wins.

View Larger Map

The new Roland Park Master Plan has some recommendations for improving the pedestrian/bike connection between the neighborhood and light rail station.  Though I haven’t analyzed the street in a professional capacity, just from my walk I would say there is the potential for adding maybe 4 to 6 feet of sidewalk/greenspace width on this section of Cold Spring Lane. This would narrow traffic lanes, slow down traffic, create a buffer between pedestrians and cars, provide stormwater benefits, and beautify the corridor if trees could be added.  Cold Spring should be a much safer and more ped/bike friendly connection between Roland Park and the light rail station and less like the New Jersey Turnpike (GSP exit 154 representin’. Shout outs to my Jerszey boys Tony, Joey and Paul.)

Cherry Hill Light Rail Station: "Station" is an overstatement.

Exhibit B: Cherry Hill Light Rail Station. When you arrive here, there really is no “here”.  The adjacent property is industrial with long term plans for a mixed use development project – which is fine, but there’s not even a parking lot at the station and street parking is iffy. Why not add a lot just south of the station on city/MTA property? This would make the station more accessible to Cherry Hill residents because it’s like designing a Rube Goldberg machine trying to access the Patapsco light rail parking lot (by foot or by car) from Cherry Hill. Dedicated parking would (IMO) improve ridership at this stop as well. And just like the West Baltimore MARC area, perhaps a Cherry Hill station parking lot could serve the community in other ways beyond car storage. Though this is a “car free” blog, look, sometimes you need parking or else people won’t bother using transit.

I don’t know the details of why these station oversights happened in the early 1990s, but the teams working on the Red Line are designing the new transit line with a complete focus on neighborhood improvement and connectivity.   But while we’re waiting for big things to happen, smaller things can have just as much impact on increasing ridership and making existing stations more inviting and useful to nearby neighborhoods.

Calculate your transportation costs, Cable Propelled Transit, and walking in L.A.

A few quick links: Abogo.cnt.org is a new site that uses census data to calculate your transportation costs anywhere in the country.  It’s based on housing density rather than neighborhood amenities, though – maybe someday they can merge their system with walkscore.com for a more accurate picture of transportation costs.

Stick2Target, a Portuguse street art blog, has a funny “eyes on the street” post about little old ladies.

Planetizen shows some gondolas, or Cable Propelled Transit (CPT), in South America. Hey, if South America brought us Bus Rapid Transit, why not cable cars too?

And finally, an excellent series about walking in L.A. from good.is

Biking tips for Baltimore (or any other city)

When I first began biking in the city, the idea of mingling with traffic was pretty intimidating. Over the course of the last month I’ve gotten more comfortable in the street. I also get a kick out of the little nods of recognition other bikers give me as we pass each other.

Some things are still tricky, though. Left turns on one way streets – and one way streets in general. Trucks (and the Johns Hopkins shuttle propelled by huge plumes of black smoke which lingers hundreds of feet downwind – did they intentionally get 1970 model buses because they liked the style?).  I see a few bicyclists with headphones on. This is fine in the parks, but on the street, it’s crazy and suicidal.  I use my ears while riding just as much as my eyes. The pros of living without owning a car totally outweigh the cons, though, and I feel a lot healthier than when I was driving everywhere.

Today’s guest post comes from my friend Nate Evans, engineer and bike enthusiast.

8/12/10 Update: Thanks to DukieBiddle for this link: Toronto Bicycle/Motor-Vehicle Collision Study

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Hats off to Mark for going car free!   I was glad to make his motor-free life a little easier by giving him one of my bikes.  My wife was happy too because that meant one less bike in my “fleet.”  Over the past month & some change I’ve given Mark a few pointers on surviving, I mean, um, biking in Baltimore and he’s given me plenty of work with his feedback on how inadequate B’more’s bike network is.  (It’s a work in progress, and I’m always open to suggestions.)

Mr. Fido says "Head out with a helmet!"

So, a few things that I’ve passed on to Mark, I’ll share with you.  If you want the rules of the road or good tips on what roads are good for biking, check out DOT’s still relatively new Baltimore Bike Map.  Here’s the rundown on biking in urban environments:

ALL BIKING IS PROGRESSIVE!  I’ve been riding non-stop since I was 5. At first I had training wheels, and then graduated to a “big kid’s” bike.  Next it was the 10-speed and road riding, then off the road, on to the trails.  First it was packed dirt trails, then rocks, boulders and eventually big air.  So it is with urban riding.  If it’s new to you, take the paths around the Lakes (Druid& Montebello), then onto the rolling paths through the parks (Patterson, Druid, even the Waterfront Promenade – ok, “its closed to bikes” but if you go slow and respect peds, then it’s awesome – besides, WHY would you want to speed on “the Prom” – it’s gorgeous.)  After building up some confidence, try some residential streets – generally quieter with less traffic.  Then go out and ride in some bike lanes with some faster traffic.  Eventually, you’ll work up to “taking the lane.”   Take your time and enjoy the ride; if you’re not having fun it’s had to take the next step.

CHOOSE A BIKE FOR YOU.  If you’re not sure what kind of bike you want, visit one of the awesome bike shops in town.  These folks know their craft – tell them where you ride and where you will ride and they’ll hook you up.  If you have sticker shock, at least find what size bike is right for you and go to Craigslist.  Dozens of bikes are listed there daily.

SOMETIMES IT’S OK TO RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK.  While biking on sidewalks within the city limits is illegal, sometimes you just don’t have a choice.  Typically, all bike trips begin & end in pedestrian mode on the sidewalk, whether at a residence, business….or a bike rack.   With all the handicap-accessible ramps on sidewalks at intersections, how anyone can resist the temptation to coast on up is beyond me.   Even for those die-hards that faithfully stick to the road, if you had to take a break, would you stop in the road?

 Even so, there are other times when it’s ok to ride on the sidewalk. At one time or another, all cyclists have been aggressively advised to “get on the sidewalk” by an impatient (or envious) motorist.  This is no time to start preaching City Code to someone in a 2 ton death machine.  (Since automobiles are responsible for more American deaths than guns, let’s just go ahead and call it like it is.)  Go ahead – get on the sidewalk.  Take that 10 second breather and regroup on the sidewalk.   OR you can harness that adrenaline and power up responsibly – crank that crank and HAUL!  Sure, let the cars pass because you’ll catch up with them at the next stop light.

 IF YOU CHOOSE TO BIKE, GROW CALUSSES.  Biking makes you tougher – no doubt, both physically and mentally.   When you think you can’t pedal another turn, prove yourself wrong.  The more you pedal the stronger you get and you’ll grow calluses on your hands, feet and brain.  Keep pedaling and you’ll soon ignore the motorists, deliverymen and occasional police that tell you to get off the road and get on the sidewalk.  The sad reality of urban biking dictates that, unless you’re a helicopter parent, your bike will get stolen.  Learning this lesson will only further thicken your mental calluses.   To combat this thievery, Kryptonite’s New York Fugitaboutit consistently ranks #1 in bike locks.  Sure, it’s heavy and pricy but it’s all about peace of mind.

OK – so this post might be a little grim, but it’s reality.  I’m generally a very optimistic person, but luck favors the prepared.  I hope you benefit from the lessons I’ve learned, so get out and go for a ride….but not on the sidewalk.

Things I want for Christmas (in a new transportation bill)

Let me bore you with a federal transportation policy post!

Why your transit system sucks (from U.S. PIRG "A Better Way To Go" report)

SAFETEA-LU, the funding and authorization bill that guides federal transportation spending, expired last year and a new bill is in the works. With each subsequent iteration, federal transportation bills have made more provisions for alternate modes, but highway spending still dominates. $40 million in the highway account is allowed to be used by states as flex funds for alternate modes, but the ultimate decision of how this money is used is up to state DOTs.  Though I’m no expert in federal transportation policy, here are the things I think should be included in the next bill:

Gas tax alternatives – a vehicle miles tax (VMT) is an equitable way to tax people in proportion to how much they use our roads. The bank account will also take less of a hit as more fuel efficient vehicles fill the streets. It makes sense to charge people in proportion to the amount they use a service or good.  Fuel consumption will soon be an outdated proxy for road usage. 

Mandated multimodal funding – SAFETEA-LU marketeers made a big deal about flexible spending for alternate modes.  Big deal. These spending decisions were mostly left up to state DOTs.  This is fine if you’re in a progressive part of the country, but many state agencies still think highways are the bee’s knees (I love 1920′s slang).  This is like giving a blank check to a crack addict. Just as there are dedicated funds for highways, there should be a mandated percentage of funds going to walking/biking/transit. Or give more power to MPOs and cities to decide how to spend the money.

Increase federal match for transit - say you want to build a highway. No problem. The feds will give you 90% of the cost. A new transit line? You’re lucky if you get a 60% match. This is partly due to the huge demand of the New Starts program and the dearth of funding available for such projects. Oh yea, and highways don’t pay for themselves, and transit shouldn’t be held to a more stringent standard which requires unrealistic “cost effectiveness” goals. Show me one cost effective highway.

Incentives for more domestic light rail/commuter rail car manufacturers. All this know-how is in Europe and Japan. We need to bring it here and base our manufacturing sector on sustainability instead of waste.  Lately, when I walk by cars stuck in traffic, I see a racket.  Huge subsidies given to car manufacturers, who in turn spew out millions of cars on asphalt roads which employ millions of contractors and engineers so even more people can have their own steel box which shuttles them around in the most wasteful, environmentally and physically harmful way possible. Why not put these subsidies into a product which has a future and is actually good for people?

Transportation for America has a transportation bill petition with some interesting comments.

Download full  “A Better Way to Go – Meeting America’s 21st Century Transportation Challenges with Modern Public Transit” U.S. PIRG report.